Due to environmental concerns as well as increasing population, environmentally friendly and efficient power generation systems are desired. While there have recently been advances in systems that utilize renewable resources, such as solar power, wind, geothermal energy, and the like efficiencies of such systems trails conventional turbine-based power generation systems, and costs of building such systems is relatively high. Moreover, generally, systems that utilize renewable resources output variable amounts of electrical power (e.g., depending upon cloud cover, wind speeds, . . . ).
Supercritical Brayton cycle power generation systems have been proposed and theorized as efficient power generation systems. Advantages of Brayton cycle power generation systems include the utilization of environmentally friendly, naturally occurring elements compounds such as air, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, helium, etc. Additional advantages of supercritical Brayton cycle power generation systems include a relatively small footprint when compared to conventional turbine-based power generation systems. Moreover, supercritical Brayton cycle power generation systems have been theorized to have efficiencies that meet or exceed efficiencies of conventional power generation systems.
Supercritical Brayton cycle power generation systems offer a promising approach to achieving higher efficiency and more cost-effective power conversion when compared against existing steam-driven power plants, and also perhaps gas turbine power plants. A supercritical Brayton cycle power generation system is a power conversion system that utilizes a single-phase fluid operating near the critical temperature and pressure of such fluid. Generally, two types of power conversion cycles have been proposed: a recuperated Brayton cycle and a recompression Brayton cycle. Other types of power cycles, such as a power take off cycle, cycles with reheat or intercooling, and split-flow compressor discharge cycles that heat a fraction flow rather than recuperate it, can also be utilized, wherein such cycles employ a Brayton cycle. Issues caused by densities of fluids that can be employed in a Brayton cycle power generation system can render designing such a system problematic, particularly at cold start up of such a system.